Ariana de Bose as Anita is way beyond her co-actors in this film

Dubbing was common in Hollywood because, in most cases, Hollywood did not produce triple threats. They were either actors who could not sing or singers who could not act. Then throw in dancing, most actors could not do all three.

You've made some very good points, modica, but I also learned some stuff about Richard Beymer that made me a bit more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt:

A) Beymer really wanted to play the role of a Tony with a little bit more "edge" to him, if one gets the drift, but had directorial constraints put on him by the late Robert Wise.

B) Natalie Wood made absolutely no secret of her hostility towards Richard Beymer during the filming, iwhich pained Beymer, and it showed. Moreover, Natalie Wood actually tried to get Beymer kicked off the set on several occasions, as well.

C) I also think that while it seemed at first that Richard Beymer's Tony and Natalie Wood's Maria had little or no chemistry in the beginning of the movie, the chemistry between them

developed on a gradual level, if one gets the drift. Several months later, however, Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer met by chance in a California diner, Beymer felt attracted to Natalie Wood, and they made up and became friends.

A lot of people do agree wholeheartedly with what you've said about Richard Beymer's being a weak, lackluster Tony, but had the above-mentioned events and circumstances not occurred, he might very well have played a stronger Tony.

I thought that the choreographed dancing in the 2021 film version of West Side Story was atrocious.

I just couldn't get into the 2021 film version of West Side Story, generally. I know I've put this on other posts, but it bears repeating here: The old, original 1961 film version is the real deal, to me.